Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes

POSTED Feb 23, 2014
By
Frank Cotolo

First there was too much snow and then there was too much water, which was
the snow before it melted. Mother Nature is certainly more consistent than a
lot of racehorses. So it was this week as higher temperatures dissolved
mountains of snow and ice in many U.S. states, provoking bad conditions on the
tracks that were, a week before, frozen.

Other schedules affected included the Meadows and Yonkers. All horses we are
watching that were to participate in the various programs cancelled, will
appear in next week’s watch (H2W) list. Check below for the wins, places and
shows that did materialize last week.

Our overnight features’ choices included two winners but not on top, as the
huge favorite (our second betting choice) Keep The Dream ($3.10, $2.20, $2.10)
won the Miss Valentine Final at Fraser over our upset choice, Yanotherhos. Our
other Fraser choice, Red Star Tyson raced horribly, finishing ninth of nine at
11-1.

Feb. 23 at Dover on Race 3 our second choice, Steady Pulse, won ($4, $2.40,
$2.10), and our first choice, JR’s Midnight Cry, scratched, leaving us with the
favorite. Our first choice in Race 2, Occasionally Bad, was never a threat,
finishing eighth at 13-1. The second contender for us in that race finished
second—RD Elegant Yankee ($3.60, $2.60).

H2W RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas are included when a
H2W horse finishing first or second completes the result with a race favorite
or another H2W horse listed in the same race (an asterisk appears when both
horses were listed to complete the exacta). Failed choices from our previous
week’s overnight features appear for the second time in the H2W list.

As we go to press, the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) held
its annual awards dinner at Dover Downs. Most of the divisional winners have
already been announced and a few categories were held for the evening’s
ceremony. These were not, however, surprises. We congratulate the connections
to all of the winners, including Horse of the Year, Bee A Magician, and our
choice for the top horse in 2013, Captaintreacherous, who won Pacer of the
Year. Both of these horses have a history with this blog that goes deeper than
public opinion. Bee A Magician is a filly trotter we supported before anyone in
the business or sport gave her the respect she deserved, going back to her
frosh year. Captaintreacherous was heralded here early this year when he began
his soph campaign and we stuck with him as many journalists knocked him regardless
of his stunning performances.

World Champion trotter Guccio, a winner of $1,021,809, has been retired to stud
in Indiana. Trained by Jimmy Takter, Guccio became one of the top contenders of
his generation as a three-year-old and missed winning the $1.5 million
Hambletonian by a neck. At 4 he trotted to his personal best of 1:51.1f, a
World Record for four-year-old trotters.

Takter said, “It was our plan to race in Europe in 2014 had this opportunity
for him to enter the stud not developed. Indiana clearly has one of the most
attractive regional programs and we do plan to breed to Guccio as I believe he
has every quality to become an outstanding trotting sire.”

Horse racing in British Columbia has been saved for at least five years now
that a new deal has been negotiated. “The major component of this for us is the
five-year deal. We’ve been told we have government backing for five years. We
have race dates for five years,” said Jackson Whittup of Harness Racing BC. The
new deal assures racing at the two tracks in the province, Fraser Downs
(harness) and Hastings Park (runners). Both tracks are owned by Great Canadian
Gaming Corporation, which also owns Flamboro and Georgian Downs in Ontario. The
agreement will see 71 race dates at Fraser this year but that number will be
reduced throughout the life of the deal. To read the full story in the
Cloverdale Reporter, please click here.

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